


Above Possum Springs

by Harebelle



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Bea meets Lori M, Bea misses Mae, Bea unknowingly has the same dream as Mae, Friendship, Gen, Graveyard/ Cemetery, Grief, Inner Dialogue, Sadness, Slice of Life, Smoking, Weird Autumn, rooftop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 20:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20841809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harebelle/pseuds/Harebelle
Summary: Bea has a weird dream about herself and her friends stargazing on the longest night. The dream reminds her of Mae and she wonders if she misses her former friend.Bea meets Lori M and they bond over both losing their mothers at a young age.Themes: loss and friendship.





	Above Possum Springs

Bea sighed as she climbed the concrete staircase. She had never explored the rooftop of the apartment building before. She had never felt the desire to. It wasn't home. It was just a place she and her father were forced into due to the swirling mess of debris that was adult life.

She reached the rusty door and stopped, staring at it, but not seeing it. Her thoughts took her back to the dream she had had the previous night.

_ We were sitting around a bonfire, it was the Longest Night. _

_ Angus, Gregg and me. Mae Borowski was there, too. Why did I dream about _ her _?_

It had been years since Bea had spoken with Mae directly. They still had the messenger on their computers, but Mae had distanced herself there too, responding less and less often.

_ Why am I thinking about Mae? _

A line from the latest song the band was writing swam into her head.

_ ~ Sometimes you can't see someone until they're gone ~ _

Bea ignored the lyrics and reached into her pocket, fumbling for the crushed box of cigarettes, but she stopped with her paw around it.

_ Not today. _

She released the box and pulled out her fake light-up cigarette instead, switching it on and popping it into her mouth with another sigh. Bea pushed open the door and stepped into the hazy afternoon.

It was hot up here; the sun beat down on the featureless rooftop and the heat and fumes from the street below added to the atmosphere. Bea blinked and looked around for somewhere to sit, then jumped in surprise at a small figure to her left, close to the doorway.

She was a mouse-girl, a teenager in a dusty hoodie, jeans and t-shirt. She was sitting on the platform surrounding the end of the roof with her legs dangling over the edge of the building. She had twisted around to stare at Bea.

She waved. 'Hey.'

_ Seems friendly enough. _

Bea walked over and sat down beside the girl, feeling slightly dizzy at being so close the edge, but shoving the fear aside.

'Hey.'

'Can I see your cigarette?'

'It's not real.'

'Yeah I know, I like fake things. Movie props and stuff. Can I try it? How does it light up?'

Bea handed the cigarette over. 'A battery I guess? I don't really know,' she watched the girl somehow disassemble the device in seconds.

'This is cool. What's your name?'

'Bea. Yours?'

'Lori M.'

'Hey, Lori.'

'Hey, Bea.'

They sat quietly for a few moments, Bea watched the cars rumble in an out of view along the street below while the mouse-girl fiddled with the cigarette.

Bea decided to get a conversation going. 'So... do you live in this building? I'm on the third floor.'

The teenager tossed the reassembled plastic cigarette back to her. 'Nope. Someone left the street door open, so I came up to the roof.'

'I think that's trespassing?'

'Well, then I trespass all over town. There's something about the rooftops... I need to get up here to get away from down there sometimes, you know?' she waved a grey paw at the town before them.

Bea nodded. 'Yeah, I know. I needed to get away from it all today, too. It's my first time on a rooftop, though.'

Without warning, Lori jumped to her feet, alarmingly standing on the edge of the platform.

Bea flinched. 'Whoa! Get down--'

'Well then, welcome to the world above Possum Springs!' the teen spread her arms dramatically, as confidently as though she were standing on the street. She beamed at Bea, who found herself smiling back.

_ This girl is nuts. She's kinda cool. _

'Thanks. Uh, it's good to be here?'

Lori hopped down and stood facing Bea, her paws in her hoodie pockets. 'It's kinda hot up here today, though, right?'

'Yeah, it's not super comfortable. The exhaust fumes aren't helping.'

'Before you showed up, I was thinking about going into an abandoned house and hanging out in the basement. Basements are always cool and quiet.'

'You could just do what I do and go to the Snack Falcon to mooch their air conditioning for a few minutes, Bea suggested.

_ I wonder if Gregg is there today. _

_ Should I tell him about my dream? _

_ He'd probably get too hyper if I tell him that Mae was there. _

Lori continued, 'There's this empty house on Arbor Street. This weird girl lived there and now the house is weird too.'

_ Autumn? _

'Weird how, exactly?'

'Just, like, weird. I've explored it and I wanna sleep in their basement one day.'

Bea smiled again. 'I guess you're the expert on weird, then.'

The mouse-girl didn't seem offended, but she didn't say anything. She rocked on her heels while Bea chewed the end of the cigarette.

'So... do your parents know you're out crawling into basements and trespassing onto rooftops?

Lori shook her head. 'My dad doesn't really ask what I do, and my mom is dead,' she shrugged as though she didn't care, but Bea was very familiar with that gesture.

_ She's so much younger than I was when Mom died. This world is a bitch. _

'My mom is dead too,' said Bea.

'Is she buried in the local cemetery? Mine is there but it's kinda far to visit her and Dad doesn't want to drive me there.'

_ What the hell? _

Bea wanted to call Lori's dad a selfish bastard, but held back. 'Yeah, she's buried there, too.'

_ I miss you, Mom. _

'I'm going to visit her this evening, actually. I can drive you to visit your mom and drive you home again if your dad is okay with it.'

The mouse-girl's eyes lit up and her whiskers twitched. 'Wow, that's really cool of you! You don't have to ask Dad, he won't care.'

Bea sighed. 'I can't drive you out of town without your parent knowing. Part of being a responsible adult, you know? And I don't wanna get in trouble.'

Lori nodded. 'Okay. I'll go ask him and meet you back here?'

'Yeah, sure. I'll wait downstairs. I'm not cut out for the world above Possum Springs, it seems.' Bea stood, instantly regretting looking over the edge of the building while standing.

_ How does Mae jump around on power lines? She isn't scared of anything... _

_ Do I miss her? _

_ Is that why I had that dream? _

She let her thoughts wander as she descended the stairwell behind Lori. When they reached the street, the teenager started hurrying away along the sidewalk.

'I'll be back in a few minutes!'

Bea waved and leaned against the staircase outside of the apartment building, looking up at the statue of Applebaum and then the power lines, imagining her former friend fearlessly walking along them.

'That statue is weird, right? It's not just me?' a voice caught Bea by surprise and she lowered her gaze to see Gregg standing right beside her, his paws in his jacket pocket and his usual grin on his face.

'Heh, yep, it's weird,' she smiled at him. 'I was actually looking at the power lines. It's crazy how Mae would strut on those things.'

'Mae's so cool; she's probably bouncing on the power lines at college right now. I miss her... do you?' Gregg asked cautiously, knowing Bea wasn't often open to talking about Mae.

Bea gnawed on the cigarette for a moment. 'I guess so? I had a dream about us all last night, and now I can't stop thinking about her.'

_ ~ I only knew her a week before she went away ~ _

Another lyric from their song played in her head.

Gregg tilted his head, waiting for her to elaborate.

'I think--'

'Bea! Dad says you can drive me to the cemetery, as long as you're not a creep!' Lori came running back, her ears bobbing in time with her steps.

'I'm not a creep,' Bea gave a very toothy grin and crossed her eyes, making the mouse-girl laugh.

'Hey, pipsqueak.' said Gregg.

Lori waved at him. 'Hey, guy from the Snack Falcon.'

'Shhh, they don't know I'm skipping work. So, you guys are going to the cemetery?' he asked Bea.

Lori answered for her. 'Yeah, both our moms are there, and Bea is taking me to visit mine.'

Gregg looked at Bea with a rare serious expression. 'That's really nice of you, Bea,' he patted Lori on the head. 'Say hi to your mom for me, pipsqueak? I bet she was cool like you.'

Lori beamed. 'Yeah, she was.'

Bea rattled her car key. 'Okay, let's go before it gets dark.'

~

The graveyard was peaceful as always; Bea and Lori were the only people there. A bird flew overhead and the trees rustled in the breeze, while the sun was setting over the hills.

'I like it here,' said Bea. 'I'm glad Mom is somewhere quiet like this.'

She didn't mention her fear of sinkholes appearing in the area, and the constant worry that one might engulf her mother's grave one day.

Lori looked up at her. 'Is it okay if you visit her while I visit my mom alone?'

'Of course. Call me when you're ready to go, yeah?'

Lori nodded and walked away into the graves, while Bea made her way to the little stone slab marking her mother's resting place. She knelt before it, closing her eyes.

'Hey Mom. Dad and I miss you. I've been thinking about someone else I miss, too. Did you ever have friends you grew distant from?' she ran her paws through the grass as she spoke.

_ There's always a chance to rekindle old friendships... _

'I've made a new friend, though. She's sweet. I'll look out for her. And hey, I'm trying to quit smoking, see?' she pointed to the plastic cigarette in her teeth.

Some time passed and Bea climbed to her feet and slowly walked back to the front gate, waiting for Lori. When the mouse-girl returned, she didn't chatter, her head down and her paws in her hoodie pocket.

'You alright?' Bea asked quietly.

Lori blinked and looked away, nodding.

Bea nervously extended a paw and gently patted Lori on the shoulder.

'It hurts, but that's okay. You mom is at peace and proud of you. And hey, Lori?'

The teenager lifted her gaze to look at Bea.

'Thanks for coming with me. I usually drive here alone, and it's nice to have a friend along.'

Lori's whiskers lifted as she smiled.

'So, why don't you tell me more about these crazy ventures into empty houses of yours on the drive home?'

~

They drove back to town, Lori happily talking about her adventures and hopes for some sort of film school in the future, while Bea found herself smiling more than she had in some time.

_ Maybe that dream was for a reason. _

_ Maybe I'll try to speak with Mae again if she visits home. _

_ I'm glad Lori, Gregg, Angus and Germ are here to look out for me. _

The sun set as the little car drove home to Possum Springs.

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself kind of sad writing this, but I hope it's in character. I wanted to capture a little moment in time I imagine happening before Mae returns from college in the game. (I think the supernatural element of Bea and Mae sharing the same dream fits into the game lore)
> 
> I wrote about Bea because I relate to some aspects of her life story, though thankfully not the loss of a close family member. She means a lot to me.
> 
> I also had to write about Lori, because she's so precious and I just want to hug her and keep her safe. I think a lot of us can relate to Lori's feelings of being "weird" and a bit unsure of ourselves when we're teenagers.


End file.
